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The Boys: Black Noir's First Words Prove He's Homelander's Worst Nightmare
Warning! Spoilers for The Boys comic book and TV series below
During The Boys' biggest comic book twist, Black Noir's first words to Homelander showed why the powerful Supe is his worst nightmare. In the comic series, Black Noir reveals himself as Homelander's clone specifically designed to take him down should he lose control. After taking off his mask and showing himself as a copy, the villain's creepy first words are telling Homelander, "I did things," referencing the horrible acts blamed on the Supe.
Throughout The Boys, Black Noir is one of the key members of The Seven superteam alongside Queen Maeve, Homelander, and Starlight. However, unlike his often attention-seeking teammates, Black Noir is portrayed as a silent but a powerful hero who never speaks and often lurks in the shadows. While he initially seems like an afterthought on the team, by the comic book series' ending, Black Noir is revealed as the ultimate villain of the series. He ends up being the person who kills Homelander after dropping the bombshell twist that Vought cloned and created him to take down should he ever lose control. When Noir revealed himself to Homelander, his first words set the stage for how he made his life a nightmare.
In The Boys #65 by Garth Ennis, Russ Braun, John McCrea, Keith Burns, Simon Bowland, Tony Avina, and Darick Robertson, Homelander proudly sits behind the Resolute desk, holding the U.S. President's decapitated head. With nothing less to lose after pictures of his most grotesque moments, including eating a baby, his depraved sexual and violent acts, and his connection to the Nazi Stormfront, Homelander completely loses control. However, his conversation with Billy Butcher at the White House is interrupted by Black Noir's broken laughter. With a menacing smile, Noir enters with his first words in the series, telling Homelander he "did things" while pretending to be him.
Black Noir adds that he put on his suit and "did things" and had to keep doing them "to get ready for the big one." Noir reveals that some of the most depraved acts Homelander was caught doing, including assaulting and impregnating Billy Butcher's wife and eating a baby, were actually him in disguise - all preparation for their eventual final fight. Homelander, who just killed the President of the United States, is completely shocked by the twist. He thought he blacked out and committed the horrible acts and, as a result, turned into a psychopath, as Billy Butcher puts it, "for no reason." The first words from Black Noir ultimately lead to the end of Homelander, as his evil clone kills him before dying at Butcher's hands.
The Black Noir twist in The Boys comic book series is the moment that officially breaks Homelander. Learning he wasn't responsible for his worst actions, but only after he becomes completely psychotic and murders the president, puts Homelander in a cant-win situation. He believed he was the monster, so he became one. Ultimately, Black Noir's first words in The Boys that he "did things" end up being Homelander's worst nightmare and downfall.
